Vadodara walo, taiyaar ho jao! 15 saal ke lambey intezaar ke baad, apka Kotambi Stadium ek baar phir se international cricket ka gawah banne ja raha hai. Haan, sunne me thodi si hairani hoti hai, kyunki jab baat international cricket ki aati hai toh Mumbai, Delhi, ya Kolkata jaise bade shehron ka hi naam zubaan par aata hai. Vadodara? Arre, yeh toh wahi shehar hai jahan se cricket ke chamakte sitare jaise Hardik Pandya aur Yusuf Pathan nikle, lekin international matches? Woh toh bas puraani yaadein lagti thi! Par ab, New Zealand ke saath 2025 ke tour ke pehle ODI ke liye, Kotambi Stadium ek baar phir se jagmaga uthne wala hai.
Yeh tour, jisme teen ODI aur paanch T20I matches honge, ek shandaar mauka hai Vadodara ke liye apne aap ko cricket ke naksha par wapas lane ka. Lekin chalo, thodi si khilli udayein – itne saalon tak BCCI ne Vadodara ko kyun bhula rakha tha? Kya Kotambi Stadium ke pitch me kuch kami thi, ya phir bade shehron ke aage yeh chhota sa shehar dab gaya? Khair, ab jo bhi ho, yeh mauka Vadodara ke cricket fans ke liye ek bada jashn hai. Aur New Zealand ke khilaaf yeh match? Yeh toh bas shuruaat hai ek nayi dastaan ki.
Ab thodi baat New Zealand ke tour ki. New Zealand, yaani Black Caps, woh team jo shayad India jaise bade cricket giants ke saamne chhoti si lagti hai, lekin unke dil me junoon aur pitch par strategy kisi se kam nahi. Yaad hai 2019 ka World Cup semi-final? Jab New Zealand ne India ko hara kar sabko hairaan kar diya tha? Haan, wahi match jisme Kane Williamson aur Ross Taylor ne aisi batting ki thi ki Indian bowlers ke paseene chhoot gaye. Lekin ab baat 2025 ki hai, aur India apne ghar me khel rahi hai. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, aur Jasprit Bumrah jaise stalwarts ke saamne New Zealand ke liye yeh tour asaan nahi hoga. Par chupke se bolun, mera dil toh Black Caps ke saath hai. Kyunki jab baat underdog ki aati hai, toh unki jeet me ek alag hi maza hota hai.
Vadodara ka Kotambi Stadium bhi apne aap me ek kahani hai. Is ground ne 1990s aur early 2000s me kaafi matches dekhe hain. Yaad hai 1996 ka woh match jab South Africa ke khilaaf Sachin Tendulkar ne apna iconic 100 banaya tha? Ya phir 2000 ka woh ODI jisme Sourav Ganguly ne apni captaincy ke jadoo se match palat diya? Kotambi ka yeh maidan chhota zaroor hai, lekin iski yaadein badi hain. Ab 2025 me, jab New Zealand ke khiladi jaise Rachin Ravindra aur Mitchell Santner is pitch par utrenge, toh yeh maidan ek baar phir se jee uthne wala hai. Rachin Ravindra, jo apne Indian roots ke wajah se bhi kaafi charcha me rehta hai, shayad yahan apne ghar jaisa mehsus kare. Aur kya pata, woh apna 2025 Champions Trophy wala form yahan bhi dikha de, jahan usne 75 ke average se sabko impress kiya tha.
Is match ka excitement sirf ground tak nahi, balki Vadodara ke galiyon tak bhi hoga. Local fans, jo itne saalon se international cricket ke liye taras rahe the, ab apne shehar ke naayakon ko cheer karenge. Hardik Pandya, jo Vadodara ka apna ladka hai, shayad is match me koi kamaal dikha de. Yaad hai 2017 ka Champions Trophy jahan Hardik ne apne all-round performance se sabka dil jeet liya tha? Aisa hi kuch is baar bhi ho sakta hai. Aur New Zealand ke liye, unke young players jaise Finn Allen ya Glenn Phillips bhi is mauke ko apne career ka turning point bana sakte hain.
Lekin yeh match sirf cricket ka jashn nahi, balki Vadodara ke liye ek nayi shuruaat hai. Yeh shehar, jo hamesha se cricket ke liye apna dil khol kar rakhta hai, ab phir se duniya ke samne apni chamak dikhayega. Kotambi Stadium ke stand bhare honge, aur fans ke cheers se yeh maidan goonj uthega. Yeh mauka hai Vadodara ke liye apne aap ko ek baar phir se cricket ke map par sthapit karne ka.
Par thodi si shikayat bhi toh banta hai. Itna lamba gap kyun? 15 saal tak Vadodara ko international matches se kyun door rakha gaya? Kya yeh shehar sirf IPL ya domestic cricket ke liye hi bana hai? BCCI ko thodi si aur tawajjo chhote shehron ki taraf bhi deni chahiye. Khair, ab jab mauka mila hai, toh Vadodara isse chookega nahi. Toh chalo, taiyaar ho jao, kyunki Kotambi Stadium me ek naya itihas banne wala hai – ya shayad ek purani kahani ka nayaa adhyay.
